ESS1 (5-8) POC-3 - Explain how Earth events ( over time and abruptly) can bring about changes in the Earths surface: landforms, ocean floor, rock features, or climate. 3a- Describing events and the effect they have on the climate (ex El Nino, deforestation, glacier melting, and increase in greenhouse gases).
Context of Lesson:
In this lesson for the class the students will be getting the rubric for their Global warming project. Then the class will be venturing down to the school library and finding websites and articles which they can use for their Global warming project. This will be the only day which the students will be getting extended class time to work on their projects so it is extremely important for them to use this time wisely. The students project will be a big part of their grade, just as important as the unit test, so it should be taken seriously. The teacher will be given the students some useful tips on how to search things on the internet, as well as how to properly cite the pages that they intend on using for their project. The students will be working in groups of two for this project and will be allowed to pick their own groups.
Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge
DOK 4 Extended Thinking- The students will be conducting an investigation on Global warming and the effects it is going to have on the Earth. The students will also be discovering solutions to the problem of Global warming.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students will have already had a lesson in which they have got notes about 5 different articles about global warming from the New York Times. The students will have generalizations as to what Global warming is and will be investigating further knowledge throughout this research project.
Plans for Differentiating Instruction
Advanced Level Students- When these students are checking their topic in with the teacher, if it is too general then the teacher may try to narrow down what the students presentation will be on. Also these students will be challenged to find out something more complex than general global warming knowledge that the lower level students may search for.
Lower Level Students- The students may be allowed to do a topic on global warming which is less intense and taxing than what the higher level students are doing.
Accommodations and modifications
The lower level students will be allowed to do a less extensive topic than the advanced level students. A problem that may occur with this project since the students are picking their own groups is that if a lower level student pairs up with a higher level student then the lower level student may simply rely on the higher level student to do all of the work. If this situation is occurring then it will be the teachers job to create checkpoints for the project to be sure that the work is being distributed properly.
Environmental factors
The students will be going down to the library to work on their research projects. It will be important for all of the students to get enough time on the computers, the ideal situation would be for each student to be working on their own computer, but as long as each group can pair up on a computer that will be suitable.
The students will be properly citing websites which they will be using for their global warming project.
Students will be using specific techniques to get reliable sources on the internet for information on global warming
Instruction:
Opening:
The teacher will Open the class by informing the students about their Global warming project. The project will consist of a 2-3 page paper on global warming containing what global warming is, their position on global warming, and what changes we can make to help the problem of global warming. The students will also have to create a visual for their project which they will hold up or use during their 3 to 5 minute presentation on Global warming which they will be presenting to the class. The students will be working in groups of 2 on their project and will be allowed to pick their own groups.
It is important to stress the due date of the project to the students multiple times because sometimes middle schools students have a tendency to forget specific due dates.
Engagement:
The teacher will then be handing out a sheet which will contain how to properly cite internet sources that the students find online. This sheet will also contain how to cite journal articles as well as other sources of information. This sheet will be explained to the students and the topic of plagiarism should be emphasized to the students because many of them have probably never had to do a formal paper before.
The teacher will then clear up some misconceptions about the internet. The teacher must be sure to show the students that not all websites online can be relied on, especially on the topic of Global warming. The teacher must be clear that the students are only to use reliable sources which were printed in reliable journal articles or encyclopedias online. If the students are not sure if a website is reliable or not then they are more than welcome to show the site to the teacher and get their approval.
The students will then be going down to the library or computer lab to begin their research. The students will be finding websites and then in their notebooks writing down the citations for the sites and being sure to include the web address this way they can find the website again.
This teacher can give the students some key phrases such as "Global warming effects on Earth", or "Global warming in America" or "Global Warming research" to help the students find interesting articles on Global warming. The students are also welcome to use the articles which were given to them in the assignment they did earlier in the unit on global warming.
The students will be required to find at least 3 websites and write their citations down in their notebook for this class period, and they will be encouraged to find as many websites as possible.
Closure:
To close out this period the teacher will reiterate the importance of this project.
The teacher will have the students fill out an exit slip answering the question "What are some visuals that you can use for your Global warming project?". The teacher can then flip through the students ideas and during the next class give suggestions and ideas for the students which are good examples of visuals to use for their presentation.
Assessment:
The assessment for this class period will be that the students have found at least 3 websites during the class period. The teacher will just be checking off that the students have actually attempted to find websites which are about global warming and didn't simply waste their time by just hanging out in the library.
Lesson Plan
Link to The Changing Earth Unit
Next Lesson
Lesson Title: Global Warming Project Research Day
State Standards:
ESS1 (5-8) POC-3 - Explain how Earth events ( over time and abruptly) can bring about changes in the Earths surface: landforms, ocean floor, rock features, or climate.3a- Describing events and the effect they have on the climate (ex El Nino, deforestation, glacier melting, and increase in greenhouse gases).
Context of Lesson:
In this lesson for the class the students will be getting the rubric for their Global warming project. Then the class will be venturing down to the school library and finding websites and articles which they can use for their Global warming project. This will be the only day which the students will be getting extended class time to work on their projects so it is extremely important for them to use this time wisely. The students project will be a big part of their grade, just as important as the unit test, so it should be taken seriously. The teacher will be given the students some useful tips on how to search things on the internet, as well as how to properly cite the pages that they intend on using for their project. The students will be working in groups of two for this project and will be allowed to pick their own groups.Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge
DOK 4 Extended Thinking- The students will be conducting an investigation on Global warming and the effects it is going to have on the Earth. The students will also be discovering solutions to the problem of Global warming.Prerequisite Knowledge
Students will have already had a lesson in which they have got notes about 5 different articles about global warming from the New York Times. The students will have generalizations as to what Global warming is and will be investigating further knowledge throughout this research project.Plans for Differentiating Instruction
Advanced Level Students- When these students are checking their topic in with the teacher, if it is too general then the teacher may try to narrow down what the students presentation will be on. Also these students will be challenged to find out something more complex than general global warming knowledge that the lower level students may search for.Lower Level Students- The students may be allowed to do a topic on global warming which is less intense and taxing than what the higher level students are doing.
Accommodations and modifications
The lower level students will be allowed to do a less extensive topic than the advanced level students. A problem that may occur with this project since the students are picking their own groups is that if a lower level student pairs up with a higher level student then the lower level student may simply rely on the higher level student to do all of the work. If this situation is occurring then it will be the teachers job to create checkpoints for the project to be sure that the work is being distributed properly.Environmental factors
The students will be going down to the library to work on their research projects. It will be important for all of the students to get enough time on the computers, the ideal situation would be for each student to be working on their own computer, but as long as each group can pair up on a computer that will be suitable.Materials
Computers, Citation Handout, Project sheetObjectives:
Instruction:
Opening:
Engagement:
Closure:
Assessment:
Reflections
(only done after lesson is enacted)